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High winds and failed power lines cause Evergreen Hideaway Fire

Nearly four acres burned in early morning
Posted at 2:29 PM, Sep 24, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-24 20:39:57-04

EVERGREEN, Colo. – Nearly four acres burned near the Beaver Brook Lodge Estates in Evergreen early Saturday morning. 

Officials said the Hideaway fire was caused by high winds forcing a power line to fail and hit the ground. 

OEvergreen Fire Rescue got a call at 1:42 a.m. about a fire off of Old Squaw Pass. More than 260 residents in the area were given a Level 1 Evacuation Notice, which meant residents should have been ready to evacuate if it was necessary.

At 5:30 a.m., the fire was 100 percent contained. Evergreen Fire Rescue officials tweeted out at 7 a.m. that the fire was out and an investigation was underway.

Evergreen Fire Rescue spokeswoman Stacee Martin called the wildfire "unusual" because it started in the middle of the night. However, she said the dry conditions and high winds provided the fuel to keep the fire going.

Martin said this was the second fire event to happen in that area, within 24-hours. At 4 p.m. on Friday, crews responded to an unattended campfire that was left along Old Squaw Pass.

Gary Lewis, a longtime Evergreen resident, told Denver7 warnings and notifications are fairly routine for those living in the Beaver Brook Lodge Estates area.

He has taken part in other evacuations through the years and admitted he slept through alerts about the Hideaway Fire.

Lewis said most people are prepared to take off, understanding that during a serious threat, residents only have 15 minutes to leave.

Although the cooler fall weather continues to lower temperatures in the state, fire officials say we are not in the clear yet.

“We're always worried about wildland fires until there's [sic] a couple inches of snow on the ground,” Martin told Denver7. 

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